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Mascots are one of the biggest parts of organising any global elite sporting event as the host nation wants the entire world to recognize and relate to them via a fictional character that represents them. The cartoon versions of real or fictional characters also attract a younger audience.
In cricket, the trend to use mascots began in World Cups, specifically the 1996 Wills World Cup which was jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. While there were other mascots used for the tournaments, the trend stopped when Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted the 2015 World Cup and then England also decided to forego the mascot for the 2019 World Cup event.
After missing the mascots from the last two World Cup editions, the ICC decided to reintroduce them to the cricketing fans. As India is hosting the 2023 World Cup tournament for the first time as a solo host, the ICC and BCCI unveiled two mascots, one male and one female for the event. The two mascots stand as symbols of both gender equality and diversity.
Keeping up with the theme, here are 10 instances when Mascots took centre stage in cricket:
Googlee- Mascot of 1996 World Cup
The very first mascot of any cricket World Cup came in the 1996 edition which was jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The event was the second time India and Pakistan were hosting the tournament after the 1987 World Cup, while it was the first time for Sri Lanka to be part of such a huge tournament as a host.
Googlee was a red-coloured ball (though the tournament was played with a white ball) with eyes and a mouth. He wore a huge helmet for protection and also wore gloves and pads on his small hands and legs. The helmet worn by Googlee had the logo of the 1996 World Cup at the front. The idea behind the design was “intrigue, unpredictability, and the courage to dare to be different”.
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